Bad Boss Behaviors: The top 5 to Avoid as a New Manager

Most Bad Boss Behaviors Are Avoidable
Effective managers rely on strong people instincts. For anyone stepping into leadership for the first time, interpersonal skill — not technical knowledge — will determine whether you earn trust, build credibility, and create a team that wants to work with you. A smart question for any new manager to ask is: How well do I understand people, and how does that show up in my daily behavior?

Well Documented Bad Boss Behaviors
There is no shortage of evidence about what undermines leadership. The patterns are familiar:

• Demanding too much from the team without considering capacity
• Holding rigid opinions and refusing to adapt
• Making decisions impulsively instead of thoughtfully
• Interrupting, talking over others, or dismissing contributions
• Operating with a self-focus that overshadows the needs of the group

These behaviors aren’t abstract — they show up in workplaces every day, often unintentionally. Under pressure, some managers default to control, certainty, or speed, even when those instincts lead them in the wrong direction. That’s why New Manager Training experts often liken these tendencies to toddlers with oversized authority: strong impulses, limited perspective, and little awareness of the impact on others.

The good news is that nearly all of these behaviors are preventable. They’re not character flaws but gaps in leadership skill, self-awareness, or emotional regulation — all of which can be strengthened with the right support and intention.

What Most Bad Bosses Are Lacking
Most problematic managers aren’t intentionally difficult — they’re underdeveloped. What they tend to lack is the maturity to pause before reacting, the confidence to lead without overcompensating, and the empathy to recognize how their behavior affects others. At the core, these gaps point to a broader shortfall: underused or underdeveloped emotional intelligence.

Leaders who struggle in this area often default to defensiveness, impatience, micromanagement, or abrupt decision-making because they haven’t built the internal steadiness needed to stay grounded. When stress hits, they react rather than respond.

Great Bosses:

• Are great communicators and transparently share information
• Provide consistent, timely, and relevant feedback
• Hold themselves, their peers, and their teams accountable
• Reward and recognize differentiated performance
• Create higher levels of empowerment, engagement, and alignment

What This Means for You as a New Manager
As a new manager, what can you do to start off on the right foot with your team? For starters, you can beware of the the top five bad boss behaviors to avoid from people manager assessment center data:

1. Do Not Micromanage
   Once performance expectations are clear and your employees understand what success looks like, step back and let them work. Hovering over every decision or insisting on your preferred method only signals a lack of trust — and it slows everyone down.

   Your role as a manager is to define the outcomes and the cultural guardrails that matter, not to script every move. When people have room to think, experiment, and own their process, they perform with more confidence and accountability.

   Intervene only when the work is late, below standard, or completed in ways that contradict your organizational values. Otherwise, give your team the space to deliver. They’ll rise to the responsibility if you give them the opportunity.

2. Do Not Manage Through Power
   A management title gives you authority, but it doesn’t give you license to intimidate, control, or push people into compliance. Leading through power may get short-term results, but it erodes trust, initiative, and long-term performance.

   As a new manager, be especially vigilant about keeping your ego out of the decision-making process. Rely on sound judgment, not positional leverage. Influence comes from fairness, clarity, and consistency — not from force.

   Your real job is to create conditions where people want to contribute, not feel compelled to. When you support your team, listen to their input, and encourage shared ownership of goals, you earn the kind of cooperation that no amount of authority can manufacture.

3. Do Not Manage as a Friend
   It’s natural to want to be liked, but your role as a manager is not to win popularity points. Your priority is to earn respect as a leader who can inspire collaboration, hold people accountable, and drive the team toward shared goals.

   Friendly interactions are important — a sense of humor, approachability, and warmth can strengthen engagement — but your relationships should remain professional. You don’t need to become everyone’s personal friend. Maintaining clear boundaries ensures that your decisions are respected, your authority is recognized, and your team knows you are focused on their collective success.

4. Do Not Manage Strictly by the Data
   Data is essential, but it never tells the full story. Metrics can show results, trends, and gaps, but they cannot reveal the context, effort, or challenges behind the numbers. Relying solely on data risks overlooking the human factors that drive performance.

   Your responsibility as a manager is to hit targets — corporate, team, and individual — but it is your people who will get you there. Like a key player on a sports team whose impact doesn’t always appear on the stat sheet, many contributions are subtle yet critical.

   Invest time in understanding your team members individually. Learn what motivates them, what challenges they face, and how they prefer to work. With that insight, you can provide support where it’s needed, recognize contributions that numbers alone cannot capture, and use data as a guide rather than the sole measure of success.

5. Do Not Manage by Crisis
   Effective team managers prevent problems before they escalate. Hold regular one-on-one and team meetings to monitor progress, discuss challenges, and address concerns early. Staying engaged ensures you are aware of obstacles before they become emergencies.

   Managing only in response to crises creates a reactive environment, increases stress, and undermines trust. Instead, focus on proactive problem-solving, guiding your team to identify issues, explore solutions, and course-correct in real time. When you address challenges as they arise, you maintain control, build confidence, and keep the team moving steadily toward its goals.

The Bottom Line
Most bad boss behaviors stem from underdeveloped people skills, not ill intent. When managers build strong interpersonal capability, stay aware of their impact, and remain open to growth, they replace reactive leadership with intentional influence — and the entire team benefits.

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